A 2 qt jar is probably too small for good composting. Ideally, you want about a cubic yard, although some bins are smaller and work fairly well.

Also, if you keep the stuff in an enclosed space, it will compost anaerobically (without air), and will likely smell bad no matter what mix of stuff you have in it. I think you'd be better off finding a spot outside. You can buy a bin or build one, or you can just have a pile. A pile will compost just fine, but many people find bins more aesthetically pleasing.

You need volume and you need air in order for that to compost, so no, a 2 quart jar is just going to produce smelly sludge. Multiple jars will just make more sludge.

If you have an area where you want to put your pile that is not covered with snow right now, you can start by collecting newspapers, shredding them, and layering them with the food wastes. Come spring, everything will warm up and start "cooking", and you can add brown and green yard wastes to the pile then. Or if your chosen spot is snowed in, get a large plastic garbage can, drill holes in it for air (many many holes, including on the bottom for drainage) and then layer your food waste and newspaper in that until spring.

The jars might be good for collecting each day's materials;
put everything in there, put the top on, shake it up, & then take it outside to add to the compost heap.

If you can't take it outside every day, shred up paper & add to the mix to keep the balance "right" so your nitrogen-rich scraps won't smell too awful.

You can use a covered bucket or pail for that;
cat litter pails are excellent.

I once had a friend who helped her elderly neighbor, a lifelong gardener, every Saturday.

When the neighbor couldn't get outside during the week, she put her scraps in the freezer, & my friend took them all out to the compost pile on Saturdays!

Thanks everyone, I knew someone would get me started right! I'll use the jar til it's full then add it to a pile. Deos it have to be in the sun? We have about a two foot space the length of our garage between it and a neighbor's privacy fence, pretty shady, but at least out of sight!
Shelley

I have a bin that is almost completely shaded all the time and it has produced some really nice compost. I think some people feel that it's best if it's in the sun to help it get hot, but if you get the right mix of browns and greens and keep it moist (but not wet) and turn in once a week or so, it'll get hot from bacterial activity.

>shelleykj
I too am new to organic gardening and composting in particular. Because I eat out all the time, I compost primarily with dried leaves and coffee grounds which I get in abundance for free. I have found the following site quite informative. Hope it helps you too!

P.S. View it in IE. It just turns out weird with Firefox.

Here is a link that might be useful: Florida's Online Composting Center

Okay I finally read the Florida tutorial, printed out the list of do or don't compost items. As far as paper goes, should a person stick to B&W newsprint to be on the safe side or is most ink soy-based? We have a shredder so could potentially have a LOT of paper if it's all safe to use. Also, I emptied the jar into a large 2' square plastic bin til it's a little nicer to put it on the ground.
Thanks as always!
Shelley